A deadly wrong-way crash on Interstate 95 in Howard County, Maryland, claimed two lives early Saturday after a Jeep traveling against traffic collided head-on with another vehicle. The crash happened around 4:30 a.m., leaving both drivers dead at the scene and bringing a tragic end to two lives.
The two men identified in the supplied report are Taleb Ait Zakariae, 37, of Rosedale, Maryland, and Timothy Summerville Jr., 47, of Baltimore. Ait Zakariae was driving the wrong-way vehicle, while Summerville was traveling in the proper direction when the two Jeeps collided.
According to the report, Ait Zakariae was behind the wheel of a 2025 Jeep Gladiator, heading south in the first lane of the northbound interstate. Summerville was driving a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee northbound in the first lane when the vehicles crashed.
The collision occurred near mile marker 44, close to Northrop Grumman in Elkridge, southwest of Baltimore. It was still early Saturday morning, around the time many motorists were beginning their weekend journeys.
Emergency medical personnel arrived at the scene, but there was nothing more they could do for either driver. Both men were pronounced dead at the crash site. Police also confirmed that neither vehicle was carrying any passengers.
Investigators believe alcohol and speed may have played a role in the collision. However, those factors have not been established as the cause, and authorities have not released a final determination. The circumstances surrounding how the Jeep ended up traveling in the wrong direction remain part of the investigation.
Troopers from the Maryland State Police Waterloo Barrack responded to the crash. Howard County police officers and personnel from the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration also assisted at the scene.
The Maryland State Police Crash Team is leading the investigation. Officials have not announced any additional findings, and the case remains open as investigators work to establish exactly what happened before the two vehicles collided.
For the families of both men, the crash means two sudden losses. A journey along one of Maryland’s busiest highways ended with two drivers losing their lives, leaving loved ones to deal with the news and the questions that follow such a tragedy.
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